I spent my twenties trying to figure out what I needed to be doing with my life, in a career sense.
I worked for technology companies in marketing and support roles, some with greater degrees of fulfillment and success.
I kind of found the trailhead of my career path in a Weight Watchers meeting circa 2003. You see, it always comes back to this. A girl I made friends with turned me on to an open position in her company. I didn't get that exact job, but I got another with the same people as a Patient Services Coordinator. I basically educated people on their possible surgical options, facilitated seminars, and provided service to patients. It was the education portion that hooked me. Two jobs later, I landed the job I'm in currently, and it works. I think I am doing the exact right thing that I should be doing.
But let's drop back a step. All through middle school, and into high school, I thought I'd be a teacher. And then, I got into a journalism class as a junior, and thought, "Yes, writing for a newspaper - this is what I want to do with my life."
I got accepted at UGA, which back then, was kind of a given for someone with a 3.4 GPA and 1210 on the SAT (that's when it only went to 1600, and dinosaurs roamed the earth). After my sophomore year, I entered the Telecommunications Department at the UGA J School - Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
By the start of my senior year, with two quarters to go, I realized I'd made a small misstep, and that I should have gone into education.
But, my parents told me that I had to be out in four years, or they'd stop paying, so I got out in 3.5, thanks to not changing my major, taking a ton of credit hours through glee club, and testing out of several units of History and French. Nice work, smarty pants.
So here I was in March of 1997, with a diploma, thinking, "Now what??"
A well-meaning friend suggested Meeting Planner...I went to Randstad, and they hooked me into a glorified waitressing job as a Meeting Coordinator at 200 person company.
It's 2011, and that feeling that I should have been a teacher is starting to bear fruit.
Because now, I'm a trainer. I teach people how to use our product.
And today in particular, we had a tough client in, who has a lot of pull, and guess who got to do their training class?
So, not only was there a little pressure, my boss and his boss both sat in to audit.
As for the training? NAILED IT.
It went perfectly. If I had scripted my trainees' reactions, it could not have gone better. They played right into my hand, I had the answers, I saw the light bulbs appear over heads.
And when it was over, my boss's boss gave me a thumbs-up. And my boss sent an e mail thanking me, passing along customer compliments, and COPYING all the Senior Management Team.
So, come what may with changes to the department. I can handle it because, to use that dreaded cliche that self-help reading managerial types seem to love...I'm in the right seat on the bus.
And it's comfortable. And it's going to be a fun ride.
ae
Comments